The Bon Secours Health System is the largest private

hospital network A hospital network is a public, non-profit or for-profit company or organization that provides two or more hospitals and other broad healthcare facilities and services. A hospital network may include hospitals in one or more regions within one or ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It was formed in 1993 to co-ordinate the health care facilities in Ireland managed by the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Sisters of Bon Secours.

Background

The Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours was founded in Paris in 1824. One of the first of the congregations of nursing sisters, its object was to nurse the sick in their own homes. The

Archbishop De Quélen In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

gave the group the name – "''bon secours''" means "good help" in French. Their work soon spread to other French cities such as

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

and

Boulogne-Sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

. Catherine O'Ferrall, who was acquainted with their work in Paris, invited the sisters to Ireland.

History

In 1861, four Sisters of Bon Secours arrived in Dublin and established the congregation's first mission outside France. Their in-home nursing included providing care for the particular patients, and assistance with basic needs for other family members. As news of their work spread, they were invited to work in other dioceses. *

Bon Secours Hospital, Cork The Bon Secours Hospital, Cork is a private hospital in Cork, Ireland. The hospital is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health. This includes sister hospitals in Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Tralee. The hospital has over 18,000 admissions and 29,000 o ...

, was established in 1915. With 300 beds, it is the largest private hospital in Ireland and is a teaching hospital affiliated with

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

. * Bon Secours Hospital, Tralee, was established in 1921. It is an acute-care facility with 130 beds. * Bon Secours Hospital, Dublin, is an independent acute care hospital located in Glasnevin in North Dublin established in 1951. It was the first in Ireland to receive Joint Commission International accreditation. * Bon Secours Hospital, Galway, was built in 1954 and was known then as Calvary Hospital. It was owned and managed by the

Sisters of the Little Company of Mary The Little Company of Mary, also known as the Blue Sisters, is a Catholic Church, Catholic religious institute of women dedicated to caring for the suffering, the sick, and the dying. The order was founded in 1877 in Nottingham, England by Mary Pot ...

until 1985. Following a short closure the hospital reopened as Galvia in 1986. In 1998, Galvia Private Hospital was purchased by Bon Secours Healthcare System. * Barringtons Hospital, Limerick, was established in 1929 at George's Quay by Joseph Barrington and his sons. It closed in 1988. In 1991, it was acquired by the vascular surgeon Paul O'Byrne who saw a need for a private hospital in the area. In 2015, the for-profit Bon Secours Health System had about 2,700 staff who worked with 350 medical consultants and saw more than 200,000 patients, making €2.5 million in profit after paying €3 million to the order in rent. In 2019, Bon Secours Health System of Dublin merged with Bon Secours Mercy Health of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. Together, the health systems have 60,000 employees serving more than 10.5 million people through nearly 50 hospitals, more than 50 home health agencies and senior health and housing facilities. It is owned by the Bon Secours Sisters

References

{{commons category, Bon Secours Health System Bon Secours Sisters Hospital networks in Ireland Medical and health organisations based in the Republic of Ireland

Background

History

See also

References